The first named helicopter ship appeared in the Northern Fleet. Ka-27M currently bears the name Nikolai Kuklev.

According to the press service of the Northern Fleet, this name was not chosen by chance. Nikolai Kuklev is a legendary military pilot, the only naval helicopter pilot to become the head of naval aviation of the Navy.
This name was given to the ship's Ka-27M helicopter on the eve of Heroes of the Fatherland Day in Severomorsk.
Nikolai Viktorovich Kuklev was born on April 17, 1958 in the village of Samaykino, Ulyanovsk region. In 1979, he graduated from the Syzran Military School and was sent to serve further in the Air Force of the Northern Fleet. Here, he held every position from helicopter pilot to deputy commander of the Northern Fleet Air Force.
He is the head of naval aviation of the Russian Navy. Proficient in most types of helicopters in service with the Navy. Sniper pilot, participant in 9 long-distance sea voyages of aircraft carrier battle groups, including 3 as a senior aviation commander. He has performed more than 3.5 thousand landings on the deck of various projects and logged more than 3 thousand flight hours.
Until the last days of his life, he worked as deputy chief helicopter designer at the Kamov Design Bureau. On December 19, 2021, at the age of 63 of his life, Nikolai Viktorovich suddenly passed away.
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